Dear Colleagues,
The UFF and Board of Trustees (BOT) teams met this past Wednesday, July 28, to discuss salaries and other outstanding articles.
Over 50 faculty were there to see what “no shame” looks like when the BOT announced its salary offer: a $1,500 bonus, representing an increase of $300 over their previous offer. So we can afford yet another macchiato per week! Not much there to help with the things we really care about, like student debt, mortgages, and putting food on the table for our families.
The UFF presented a Salaries counterproposal that left all our raise proposals in place but proposed $1,700 for bonus rather than $2,000. Mind you, that bonus amount is contingent on the BOT accepting our other proposals for raises in Across-the Board, Merit, and Market Equity.
We asked the BOT whether they were willing to take action on the MOU we proposed at our last session that would allow Promotion Raises and Sustained Performance Increases to go through without a delay, but they were not yet ready to answer.
Seeing as how we have gotten no traction in trying to increase child or family leave provisions (in Article 17, Leaves) or to enable tapered employment as faculty approach retirement (Article 24, Benefits) or to get an actual raise (Article 23, Salaries), we proposed “status quo” on Conflict of Interest/Outside Activity, Article 19). That means the article would remain as it was when bargaining began.
Next week we will meet remotely on Friday, August 6, at 2:00. Here is the Zoom link:
https://fsu.zoom.us/j/97353687538 We encourage you to show up! Your presence makes a real difference.
If you are a member of UFF, you are also welcome to our caucuses, which typically occur once or twice during bargaining and at its conclusion. Here is that link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86158995086
Regular updates can be found at our webpage: https://uff-fsu.org/
The key to a strong collective bargaining agreement is a strong membership base, so if you are not a member, please join! There has never been a more important time for us to stand together. https://uff-fsu.org/wp/join/
All best,
Irene Padavic and Scott Hannahs
Co-Chief Negotiators, UFF-FSU